WHO doesn’t love a bunch of flowers on Mother’s Day?
But who also doesn’t love waiting for deliveries in case some crook nicks them off your doorstep? Me.
A beautiful bouquet, a card and a pair of brownies — which Mother wouldn’t love this?[/caption]
Shop Bloom and Wild flowers
Happily, Bloom and Wild offers a letterbox delivery service, promising hand-picked fresh blooms packed in sustainable cardboard containers, so you don’t need to waste your time hanging around.
Plus, you can feel smug because there’s none of the usual plastic that flowers come wrapped in.
I do love a bunch of flowers on Mother’s Day, whether they’re hand-picked from my garden by my daughters or hand-picked by my husband from the internet — either works for me.
So, it was a no-brainer to test these out.
Pros
- Sustainable packaging
- No plastic
- Flowers in bud so they last longer
- No waiting in for a delivery
- How-to guide for arranging them
- Three days’ worth of plant food
Cons
- Onus is on you to arrange
- Not all the flowers come from the UK
Rating: 8/10
How I tested Bloom and Wild
As the Gardening Editor of The Sun, I’m all for bringing the outside in. And because Bloom and Wild grows a portion of its flowers on a farm in Herefordshire, it feels like a good company to back.
I’ve also reviewed many flower subscriptions for Valentine’s and Mother’s Day, so this is definitely not my first flower-rating rodeo.
Once my flowers arrived, I carefully arranged them as per the guide, added the sachet of plant food, and then watched the buds open over time to give a beautiful, stylish display.
Bloom and Wild review: Quickfire Q&A
I tried out a stunning bouquet of spring roses[/caption]
Shop Bloom and Wild flowers
How much is Bloom and Wild? The cheapest letterbox bouquet, the Little Bright Blooms selection, costs £19, but you can spend up to £300 on year-long supplies of fresh flowers. Bloom and Wild also offers a subscription service, which costs £20, £25 or £27 depending on which option you go for.
Who’s it best for? I’ve not encountered a mum who doesn’t love fresh flowers for Mother’s Day, but they also make great birthday and anniversary gifts (or perhaps just a little treat for yourself).
What I loved: The flowers look more expensive than they are, there was a beautiful Mother’s Day card included, and you can choose to add a pair of genuinely delicious chocolate brownies. Handily, there are also three packs of feed included to extend the life of the blooms.
What I didn’t: Some people may not enjoy having to arrange the flowers themselves, and Bloom and Wild could provide more direction about how to do it.
Bloom and Wild review: The Nitty Gritty
First impressions
The blooms come nicely packaged in a box that fits neatly through the front door[/caption]
You have to arrange the flowers yourself, which will split opinion[/caption]
Shop Bloom and Wild flowers
It’s very trendy at the moment to send flowers you have to arrange yourself.
Bloom and Wild’s letterbox delivery is exactly that.
In some ways, that’s delightful. You’re in charge — you get to choose how long or short you want your stems, and you can be a bit more flexible with how you want them arranged.
Plus, you’re not required to own the kind of giant vase a pre-arranged bunch might demand.
The downside, of course, is that once you’ve grabbed your glasses to squint at the guide and laid them all out, the onus is on you to make them look nice.
Pressure!
Personally, the jury is out on the whole self-arrangement trend, but I guess if you’re learning a new skill, then it’s probably a good thing.
Although sometimes I lazily wish the florist would just do it for me.
But the flowers arrived — all fine in the box — with a charming sticker on the box reading: ‘Shh your flowers are sleeping, use the guide inside to wake them up.’
And it was a lovely mix of foliage, dainty blooms and showstoppers — 21 stems of alstroemeria, carnations, roses and tulips — all explained in the guide.
They were very carefully hand-packed and arrived mostly in bud, so they last longer.
The tulips even came with the bulb still on, which I’ve never seen before.
The tulips even came with a bulb attached, meaning I can grow more in my garden[/caption]
Shop Bloom and Wild flowers
There was also a handy paper bulb bag, so if you wanted, you could cut them off, dry them out in the bag, and replant them in your garden a few weeks later.
(Although this would only really work in tulip-bulb planting season in March — at the latest — and September, so perhaps that’s just a service provided at this time of year.)
To cut the bulbs or not to cut? Another choice that’s down to you.
I chose to snip off the bulbs as I wasn’t sure how they’d look in a glass vase.
As long as I remember to plant them in a few weeks, I’ve got three new tulips for the garden, which is a win.
Then it gave you a guide on ‘How to arrange your bouquet like a pro’, which was pretty simple to follow.
Basically, arrange them ‘tipi’ style and cut them to different lengths.
I’m not a florist – so as I was going down the ‘do it yourself’ path – I could have probably done with a little more direction.
I’ve seen previous guides which literally spell out which plants to put where.
But I was pleased with my creation – even if I did have to tweak it a few times.
And when it came to the guide’s instructions on ‘how to wake your plants up’ – essentially – the secret was, of course, a long drink of water.
Which was reassuring – as a few of the blooms were definitely floppy.
Do they deliver?
For an extra £6, you can add a pair of brownies to the package[/caption]
Shop Bloom and Wild flowers
Lo and behold, 24 hours after a nice refreshing vase of the good stuff — plus the Bloom & Wild plant food — they were all perfectly standing to attention.
Helpfully, you get three packets of feed, so you can keep them looking fresh for much longer.
Another really nice touch is that they came with an expensive looking card saying ‘The most brilliant woman I know’, which is rather lovely for Mother’s Day.
These brownies genuinely tasted divine[/caption]
Shop Bloom and Wild flowers
And, crucially, there was a small purple cardboard box with two absolutely delicious brownies in there — which genuinely tasted divine. (These cost £6 as an add-on to any letterbox bouquet — money well-spent if you ask me).
So basically, lovely flowers, delicious chocolate brownies and a card telling me I’m brilliant? What’s not to like?
So basically, lovely flowers, delicious chocolate brownies and a card telling me I’m brilliant? What’s not to like?
How much is Bloom and Wild?
Bloom and Wild’s letterbox flowers start at a very reasonable £19 for the ‘Little Pastel Blooms’ and ‘Little Bright Blooms’ mini-bouquets.
Full-size bouquets start at £26 for ‘The Anna’, ‘The Katy’ and ‘The Nell’.
My ‘The Jena’ bouquet was £32.
Plus on the site there’s a whole host of gifts you can send alongside or instead of the flowers — like my brownies, sleep sets, make-up baga, or a ‘Hug in the Post’ which contains delicious-looking Blondies (cakes).
Where to buy Bloom and Wild flowers
You’ll find all of Bloom and Wild’s bouquets at bloomandwild.com.
Helpfully for those who have left it until the last minute, you can sort the options by delivery date, to ensure that your gift will arrive in time for the big day.
Bloom and Wild alternatives
It’ll come as no surprise that there’s no shortage of alternatives to Bloom and Wild.
I tested out many of them for The Sun’s roundup of the best flower subscription services.
A couple of the ones I tested offer letterbox bouquets, including Freddie’s Flowers and Prestige Flowers.
Bloom and Wild review: The Verdict
Five days on, my flowers are still looking sprightly and fresh, which is an absolute delight.
They actually look much more expensive than they were and are stylish and classy — suitable for any kind of decor.
So if you’re ok with letting your inner florist out – then I’d definitely recommend these for Mother’s Day.
- Shop Bloom and Wild flowers – here
